Yule Ball Yule Brawl
by svmonkey1018
Summary: The untold story behind Ron's desire to take Hermione to the Yule Ball, his plan, how he waited too long, and the fight that ensued afterwards.
1. The Announcement

**Chapter 1:**

**The Announcement**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Alright guys, here we go with story number four. I decided to make a story about all the behind-the-scenes stuff at the Yule Ball that I imagined might have happened. I'm going to stick to the key events, but none of the dialogue will be the same…Besides, you all know how that story goes. Enjoy!**

"_Oh No" _Ron Weasley thought to himself as he heard Professor McGonagall's announcement. The fourth year leaned back in his chair and sighed. A Yule Ball? Was it absolutely necessary? "_What did McGonagall say just now? Dress Robes! Oh great" _Ron thought, his mind floating up to his trunk where his frilly, moth-eaten dress robes lay buried beneath all his other clothing. Ron looked around the room and took in his classmates' reactions. Next to him, Harry had a scowl on his previously smiling face. Neville looked as if he was going to be sick. In the corner, Parvati and Lavender were bent close together whispering about this new piece of information. Then Ron's eyes landed on Hermione, who looked as though this was a discussion about the weather, not a dance. Ron's stomach did a funny lurch as he kept his gaze on her. "_Stop that_" he silently urged it. He still had no idea where these feelings were coming from. Since when did Hermione make him all jumpy and excited? Then it hit him. Hermione. He wanted to take Hermione to the Yule Ball. It was a perfect plan really. He could take Hermione to this, this _Dance_ (how he hated that word) and if she thought it was like a date (and Ron hoped it would be) and felt uncomfortable, Ron could just say that they were going as friends. (She'd believe that! They were friends, after all.)

Ron gathered his things to leave, feeling slightly better about the situation before realizing exactly what it was he was going to do. "_I'm going to ask Hermione out_" he thought to himself. _"How exactly am I going to do this?" _As he continued down the hallway towards the Great Hall, Ron heard his name being called from behind him. Harry was coming down the hallway quickly trying to catch up.

"Have I got news for you" Harry said when he finally reached Ron.

"_Oh Great" _Ron thought, _"Harry's already got a date for the ball. It figures, what with him being The-Boy-Who-Lived and everything. I wish it was that easy for me to get a date." _

"Ron?" Harry asked, noticing that Ron was not quite with him.

"Uh, Yeah?" Ron asked, coming back from his thoughts.

"McGonagall held me back after class to tell me I have to open the dancing at the ball with my date because I'm a Champion."

"Wow" Ron said laughing at Harry's unfortunate news.

"_Well it could be worse" _Ron thought as he and Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked casually as he piled his plate with food.

"Oh I suppose she's at the library."

"Again? I really don't like her skipping dinner like this, especially for S.P.E.W. or whatever it is."

Harry nodded to show he agreed, and then continued to eat. They sat for a few moments in silence until Harry spoke again.

"So Ron, have you-" but he was interrupted by Ginny's appearance. "Oh, hello Ginny" he said as she sat down and then continued. "So Ron, have you thought any about who you want to take to the Yule Ball?"

"Um, yeah, a bit." Ron stuttered his response.

"Really?" Ginny said from her place beside him, looking startled. "Well then, let's hear it. I can't go unless someone older asks me so I'm up for any gossip I can get.

"Yeah" Harry grinned, "Who's the Lucky Lady?"

Ron looked down at his plate and started playing with his food. Should he really tell Harry and Ginny? _"Well why not?" _a voice in his head spoke up. _"He's your best friend and she's your sister. You can trust them." _Ron looked up and stared at the bit of wall behind Harry's head as he clearly stated "Hermione."

"I knew it!" Harry exclaimed. Ginny started giggling and Ron could feel himself going crimson from the ears down.

"That's simply wonderful!" Ginny said between giggles, "Hermione will love going with you!"

"You think so?" Ron asked, brightening at the prospect of this actually happening.

"Ron, you two really are blind" Harry said before taking a drink of his pumpkin juice.

"_This is great" _Ron thought to himself as they continued to eat. _"Maybe this is going to work after all. Maybe Hermione and I'll finally get somewhere past 'friends.' Now I just have to come up with a plan. I suppose I'll ask Harry for help tomorrow."_ They finished eating and stood up. When they reached the Common Room, Harry and Ron went inside but Ginny did not join them. Ron did not notice the mischievous look in her eyes as she headed towards the library.


	2. Coming Up With a Plan

**Chapter 2:**

**Coming Up With a Plan**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.**

"Excuse Me?" Hermione said laughing. "Oh Please Ronald. Me? Go to the Yule Ball with You? You've got to be joking! Now seriously, what did you want to ask me?"

Ron started to open his mouth in protest, but before he could get any words out, Harry came into the Common Room and joined them.

"Hello Harry!" said Hermione, brightening at his appearance.

"Hermione, it's lovely to see you, as always. Hey! I've got an idea, why don't you go to the Ball with me?"

"WHAT?" Ron thundered, staring open-mouthed at Harry. "But- you knew- you filthy traitor- I called you my best friend- how could you!"

"Ronald, I've already turned you down, so Harry is at perfect liberty to ask me to the ball."

"So will you go with me?" Harry asked once more.

"Of course I will Harry, I'm in love with you."

"I'm in love with you too Hermione."

Ron could not take this anymore. He stood up and shoved Harry. Harry stumbled backwards and then came lunging forward, hitting Ron square in the face. As everything went black, Ron could hear Hermione asking Harry if he was alright…

Ron awoke with a start.

"Bloody Hell" he said as he sat up and looked around him. He was in his bed and it was still dark outside. It had all been a dream.

"_A really horrible dream at that" _Ron thought as he punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape.

"_Calm down" _Ron firmly told himself. "_It was just a dream. Harry doesn't fancy Hermione, you know that. He fancies Cho. Get a grip." _And yet, even as Ron told himself this, uncertainty still lingered on his mind. He stared up at the ceiling for a while and then headed down to the Common Room when sleep had still not come.

There was no one in the Common Room so he took a seat by the dwindling fire. He looked around and spotted a very bushy ginger tail creeping towards him.

"Crookshanks" he called and the cat crept lazily over and hopped up onto Ron's lap.

"Well, look at you being all friendly with me. I suppose it's because Scabbers- er, Pettigrew- isn't around anymore. You really do have a brilliant judge of character." Crookshanks purred up at Ron and then settled himself into a tight ball. Ron started to scratch Crookshanks absentmindedly and then started speaking to him once more.

"Hermione's something isn't she? Always over achieving and knowing everything. She really is the brightest witch of our age. And she's pretty, always doing something to make her natural beauty stand out, like when she bites her lip when she's thinking. She's brave too. Just came out and punched Malfoy in the face last year! God…Wow, listen to me ramble about her. I'm not exactly the best with words. How am I going to ask her out? Why would she possibly want to go out with me- maybe I just shouldn't go through with this."

Crookshanks stood up suddenly and dug his claws into Ron's legs.

"Fine! Fine! I'll go through with it! Don't have to get all freaked out."

Crookshanks settled back down and fell asleep. Ron continued talking, for he was too lost in his thoughts to notice otherwise.

"I mean, why wouldn't Hermione want to date me? I'm nice, I'm funny, I'm good at chess and quidditch, I take care of her, I'm not bad to look at- Oh great. Now I sound all conceited. Why would Hermione want to date someone who's conceited? Argh!" Ron shook his head violently as if to clear it of all his thoughts.

"Calm down Ron, you'll figure it all out in the morning. You and Harry will come up with a plan for you to ask your best friend out." Ron carefully put Crookshanks onto a nearby armchair and started towards the staircase, just missing the mane of bushy hair that had flown up the stairs to the Girl's Dormitories.

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The next day was Saturday, so Ron had all day to come up with a plan. After breakfast Hermione went to the library as expected and Ron and Harry went out by the lake to see what they could come up with.

"What if I sent her a note? Like in the morning post or something? She could open it at breakfast."

"That's alright, but I've got a better idea- why don't you just pull her aside and ask her to go with you?"

"Harry, it's not that simple! This is Hermione we're talking about, I have to do this just right because I can't mess up our friendship. That's what comes first!"

"I understand that Ron, but I don't think Hermione would want anything extravagant. So think, what are the things that Hermione likes and how can you use them to ask her?"

"Well, Hermione likes the library, Crookshanks, and being outside."

"Well then, there are your ideas Ron. Run with them."


	3. The Library

**Chapter 3:**

**The Library**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.**

**A/N: Alright, so in the last chapter I had Ron dream that Harry and Hermione were going to the Yule Ball together because "they were in love with each other." I in no way intended to be "mean to Ron" because _he was the one having the dream_. His subconscious was telling him A.) to get a move on and B.) not to let Harry get this, with everything else that he already has (according to Ron). I accept constructive criticism but not someone telling me that I "treated my character badly" especially when it's not even my character. Did you tell J.K. Rowling that she treated Hermione badly when Ron went out with Lavender? Didn't think so. If you don't like my stories, don't read them, and especially don't review them unless you have something good to add to it, not simply because "you didn't like my approach". For those of you who actually like this story, enjoy. **

Later that day, Ron found himself walking towards the library with Harry by his side. The plan was quite simple- they were going to find Hermione and pretend to be interested in all of her S.P.E.W. business. Harry was going to go and "look for a book on House Elves" so that Ron could ask Hermione to the ball.

Ron had never had such a feeling of dread in his stomach. Each step seemed to bring him closer to his death. When they finally reached the doors to the library, Ron had to force himself to walk inside and act as if nothing was wrong. It took Harry and Ron a few minutes to find Hermione, largely due to the fact that she was hidden by an enormous stack of books with titles like "How to Deal with Your Naughty House Elf" and "House Elves: A Beginner's Guide to Owning a Loyal Servant." Hermione was writing furiously as she scanned the pages of "Great House Elf crimes of the Past Century."

"Uh, hi Hermione" Harry said. Ron just stood there looking at her, his feet getting ready to run in the opposite direction.

"Oh, Hello Ron, Harry." She didn't even look up from her notes as she closed one book and moved on to the next. Harry and Ron sat down on either side of her and Ron grabbed the nearest book, entitled "Breeding House Elves for Pleasure and Profit."

"What is this rubbish?" Ron asked as he flipped through the pages.

"This rubbish" Hermione said as she pulled the book out of his hands and laid it down on the other side of her, "is an example of how poorly treated House Elves are. If you came to disrupt my process Ronald, I suggest you leave."

"Fine, shutting up then" Ron said and mockingly locked his mouth and threw away the key. "_Great"_ Ron thought to himself, _"You've already got her mad at you."_

"Hermione" Ron heard Harry say, for it was impossible to see him behind the stack of books surrounding them. "Ron and I came to tell you that we want to help with S.P.E.W. We've realized how important it is to you and want to lighten your work load."

"That's very thoughtful of the two of you, but I don't want you to join S.P.E.W. to make me happy, I want you to join S.P.E.W. because it's the right thing to do for these poor, mistreated House Elves."

"Fine" Ron said, "We'll do it for the elves."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, a look of doubt in her eyes.

"I'm positive" Ron replied and pulled "What to Expect when your House Elf is Expecting" towards him. He had not yet opened the book when a mane of bushy hair collided with him. Hermione had flung herself at him, crying and murmuring about how much it meant to her. Ron looked up and saw Harry grinning at him from behind Hermione's head, a knowing look in his eyes. Hermione let go and then set back to her work as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She continued writing but spoke to them as she wrote.

"It's been so hard doing all of this by myself. There is so much information to find out, but I'm on the last two books about House Elves, so I should be done by tonight. I'll really need you guys for when it comes time to recruit members . I'm making pamphlets tomorrow morning."

Harry glanced at Ron and Ron nodded nervously to signal he was ready- it was time to ask Hermione to the Ball.

"Well Hermione" Harry started, "I would like nothing more than to go and get more books to gather information. Ron can stay here and help you, maybe learn some things, ask a few questions…" Ron shifted in his seat as he made a mental note to kill Harry for that statement.

"Oh, that won't be necessary Harry" Hermione said as she turned the page in her notebook and started writing again. "I used the summoning charm you learned for the First Task to summon all the books in the castle about House Elves. If you want to ask questions though, I'd be happy to answer them."

"Uh, no thanks Hermione. I don't have any questions."

"Well then you two can start copying out these information packets- you'll learn something and help lighten my work load." She pushed a pile of papers towards each of the boys and then returned to her own tedious work. Ron sighed, gave Harry a firm kick under the table, and then started writing out the packet. After an hour of copying facts about the Common House Elf, Ron's hand was starting to cramp. He was about to call it quits when Harry stood up and stretched.

"Listen, Hermione, I've got to take a bathroom break. I'll be back." And without another word, he left, winking at Ron before walking away.

"_Well, this is it_" Ron thought to himself.

"Hermione, I-"

"Ron I need help putting all of these books back, grab some will you- we'll talk later." Ron resentfully picked up a large stack of books and followed Hermione to the correct section.

"Listen, Hermione, before-"

"SHHH! This is a library, not a public forum! No talking or I'll have to ask you to leave." Madame Pince swooped up from behind them and whispered her warning.

"Yes Madame Pince" Hermione said while shooting Ron the death glare. Ron did not try to speak again until he was helping Hermione put her research in her bag.

"I wanted to ask you if-"

"Enough! I do not tolerate speaking in my library and I've already warned you once, I must ask you to leave until you have all of the chatter out of you. Good day!" Madame Pince foiled Ron's efforts once more.

"_Oh well, I'll just ask her in the hallway_" Ron thought as he and Hermione left. Unfortunately, as they headed out of the library, Harry headed in, and by the look of Ron's disappointed face he knew he had come back too soon.


	4. Crookshanks

**Chapter 4:**

**Crookshanks**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. **

It took Ron a week to recover after his disastrous attempt at asking Hermione to the ball. By the next Saturday, Harry had convinced Ron that it was time to try again. They were up in the boy's dormitory discussing Plan: Crookshanks one last time before going through with it.

"Alright Ron, remember, all you have to do is write out a note to Hermione asking her to go to the ball with you and then tie it around Crookshanks' neck. We should be able to get Crookshanks to go to Hermione straight away, so she'll read the note and agree to go to the ball with you."

"I'm still a little iffy on the last part of the plan, but we'll see how everything works out." Ron walked over to his bag and pulled out a quill and parchment. He went to the table beside his bed and wrote out a quick note.

_Hermione,_

_I would greatly appreciate your company at the Yule Ball. Would you like to allow me the pleasure of being your date? Please note that our friendship comes above all else, no matter what happens. I hope you are well. _

_Sincerely,  
Ron_

"How does this sound?" Ron handed the note over to Harry and carefully watched his face as he read it.

"Sounds a bit formal to me, but I suppose it will do. She may appreciate it more because you took the time to make it sound fancy and, you know, find her cat and strap it around his neck."

"Very funny Harry." They walked out of the dormitory and down the stairs into the Common Room.

"Help me find Crookshanks," Ron said as he started to search for the ginger cat, "Do you happen to know where Hermione is, by the way?" Ron asked over his shoulder as he looked under one of the couches near the fire.

"She should be here in about ten minutes," Ginny said as she came up behind her brother and playfully pushed him over.

"Not cool Ginny," he said as he pulled himself up and dusted his too-short robes off.

"Found him!" Harry called from behind a table. He lunged to catch the cat but Crookshanks shot forward and Harry landed on his face. Ron chased Crookshanks but fell over his large feet and had to grab onto the nearest chair to stop himself from falling.

"Boys." Ginny shook her head as she easily picked the ginger ball of fur up. Harry and Ron both murmured excuses under their breath as they dusted themselves off, but Ginny just smirked at them.

"No excuses" she said as she scratched Crookshanks behind his ears.

"Give me the cat," Ron said and took Crookshanks from Ginny. He tied the note around his neck and then put Crookshanks back on the ground.

"Alright, now all we have to do is wait for Hermione to find Crookshanks and read it."

"If I'm correct, Hermione should be coming up the hallway outside," Harry said as he stuffed a piece of old parchment into his robes. Ron smoothed back his hair and straightened his robes. Ginny and Harry caught each other's eye and snickered at him.

"Alright you two, back to your knitting, nothing to see here. Hermione will be walking through the door any second and I don't need her to find you two laughing at me." Ginny and Harry glanced at each other and burst out laughing once more, but respected Ron's wishes and sat down at one of the tables and started a game of exploding snap. Ron walked over to an empty chair beside the fire and sat down. He was barely comfortable when Hermione came walking through the portrait hole. She spotted him and called a greeting. He waved at her and she came over to sit next to him.

"Hello Ron. I've just finished making pamphlets. I think I'll leave them around the Common Room tomorrow, see if anyone wants to join." At that precise moment, Crookshanks jumped up onto Hermione's lap. Ron stiffened-- there was no note tied around his neck.

"Hello my baby," Hermione said, "What's all this paper in your mouth and in your fur? I hope you didn't eat anything important. Well no use trying to figure it out, I'm exhausted. Good Night Ron."

"'Night," Ron muttered, silently throwing every curse word he knew at the ginger cat Hermione carried in her arms. Ron stood up and walked hurriedly over to Harry and Ginny.

"Well?" Harry asked, looking up from his game.

"The bloody cat ate the note!" Ron had to keep himself from yelling to be sure Hermione didn't hear him.

"Well then, we need to go with your next plan. That's my favorite anyway. You should've done it first, would've had this over with by now." Harry reassured Ron before turning back to his game. Ron gave him an exasperated look before retiring to his room, thinking up ways to murder Crookshanks as he went.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this Chapter and Deathly Hallows if you've finished/are reading it! It was by far my favorite. I won't say anything more because I refuse to ruin it for any of my fellow fans. Thanks for reading!


	5. A Walk on the Grounds

**Chapter 5:**

**A Walk on the Grounds**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.**

**A/N: Sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I've been quite busy. Enjoy!**

Ron woke up the next morning with a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was almost as if his body was silently protesting against his plans to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball. Ron wasn't a hundred percent sure whether he should listen to the warnings or just go about the day as he had already planned. In fact, this plan was the simplest of the lot and he was rather unsure why he hadn't gone along with it in the first place. Tonight, Ron and Harry would have a mock-conversation that would allow Ron to throw out the idea that they should all go for a walk on the snow covered grounds after dinner. Then, Harry would "discover" a piece of homework he had forgotten to do and leave Ron and Hermione alone on their walk. From there, Ron should have enough time to find courage to ask Hermione to go with him to the ball.

Ron swung his long legs out of bed and found his slippers on the cold dormitory floor. Harry was still sound asleep in the four-poster next to him and Neville's deep snores could be heard from across the room. Quickly, Ron got dressed and went down to the common room where there were a few seventh years having a conversation and one third year frantically searching through a large book which appeared to have deep purple stains on every page. Ron went out of the portrait hole and made his way down to the Great Hall for a bit of breakfast. When he searched the Gryffindor table for a friendly face, his stomach dropped slightly when he saw Hermione waving eagerly at him to join her.

"Hello Ron," Hermione said as he sat down next to her.

"Hermione," he nodded, grabbing a piece of toast from the large stack in front of him. Ron looked over at Hermione and quickly looked away. She looked lovely today, dressed in a light pink turtleneck and tan corduroys. Her hair was pulled back in a high pony tail and she was wearing earrings that her parents had given her for Christmas in second year.

"What?" Hermione had caught Ron staring at her and he quickly looked away before she saw the blush that had begun to creep up his face.

"Oh, Nothing, just got distracted," Ron said, pretending that it was no big deal.

"Alright Ron. Have any plans for today?"

Ron choked on his toast as her question caught him off guard. He quickly swallowed and then took a large gulp of orange juice from his goblet. He opened his mouth to answer her but then he thought better of what his plan actually was. Harry was still asleep somewhere upstairs in the depths of the castle. Ginny was surely asleep as well. It seemed as though now would be the best time to go out to the grounds with Hermione and ask her to the Yule Ball. They could go as soon as they had finished eating their breakfast. Leaving all second thoughts behind, Ron cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Yeah, actually, I was thinking about going for a walk around the grounds in the fresh snow as soon as I finished breakfast. Would you like to join me Hermione?"

She hesitated for a moment and then replied "Yes Ron, I would love to join you. Let's just finish up and then get our cloaks from our dormitories." Hermione quickly looked over at him and then turned back to her breakfast and continued eating. Ron tried to conceal his excitement. Maybe this plan would actually work.

Ron stepped out into the cool winter air with Hermione by his side. There was no one on the grounds but them, as it was quite cold that day and still relatively early in the morning. Across the lawn, smoke was swirling up from Hagrid's hut and in the distance, the Giant Squid could be seen jetting across the Black Lake. Ron and Hermione started in the direction of the lake and started talking about Harry and the Triwizard Tournament. They continued walking until they reached their favorite tree near the Black Lake and sat down after Ron had cleared the snow out and Hermione had dried the ground with her wand.

"So Hermione," Ron began as he pushed his long red hair back from his face "there was something that I wanted to talk to you about." The words were spilling from Ron's mouth before he could stop them. At this point, he was so nervous that he couldn't even be nervous anymore, in a paradoxical sort of way.

"Oh, Ron, there's something that I need to talk to you about too." Ron's confusion must have shown on his face as Hermione laughed quietly. "Nothing bad, I promise" she reassured him and patted his large numb hand with her small gloved one.

"No, listen Ron, I was thinking that maybe we should do something for Harry after this next task, like throw him a party or something. I think that he needs to know that everyone is behind him. Every day I worry about him, you know. I worry that he feels like we're not there for him and that we can't help him. I think that we need to do something to reassure him that you and I are in this for the long run, no matter what happens, and that he is never alone. Not now, not ever."

Ron took in everything that Hermione had just said and breathed out slowly. It wasn't exactly what he had thought she would want to talk to him about, but he admired her caring nature and wanted to help her in whatever way he could.

"I think it's a brilliant idea Hermione, really brilliant. But then again, I shouldn't expect anything less from you. I'm behind you whatever you want to do but I think we should probably warn him, just in case he doesn't want a party. There are other things we could do to let him know that we are there for him. You'll come up with something that fits."

Hermione beamed at him. He started to blush slightly, but was sure that she couldn't tell because his cheeks were already pink with cold. Ron decided that now was the best time to ask her to the ball after he had complimented her intelligence and shown how supportive he truly was of her.

"Hey Hermione, actually, I've still got to ask you something."

"Go ahead Ron, anything."

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go-"

"Hermione!"

Ron looked around to see where the not-so-silent intruder was. Neville came running down the lawn and tripped, rolling towards them.

"Neville, are you alright?!" Hermione exclaimed, rushing towards him. Ron got up and quickly followed her. Together, Ron and Hermione lifted Neville back to his feet and dusted the snow off of him. Hermione pulled out her wand and whispered a spell to dry Neville off.

"Hermione, I found you, finally," Neville panted, trying to catch is breath.

"What is it Neville, what do you need me for?"

"I need you to come with me, come on now, it's important."

"Alright, Ron come on we've got to-"

"NO, Ron can't come with us Hermione."

"What do you mean I can't come with you?" Ron asked indignantly.

"I'm sorry Ron, but this is important and private. I'll let her go soon, I promise."

Hermione looked shiftily from Neville to Ron. "I'm sorry Ron, but I've got to go with Neville right now. I'll meet you at dinner okay? Save me a seat." She smiled at him and turned to go back to the castle with Neville, but before they had gotten very far, she turned toward him and shouted "Ask me your question at dinner, alright Ron? I'll remember, I promise!" She waved and grinned at him before following Neville once more.

Ron raised his hand in a silent wave and then sat back down underneath the tree. Silently swearing, Ron kicked at a small stone to take out all of his frustrations with Neville on the inanimate object. Though he was disappointed, Ron couldn't help but be excited for dinner. Hermione seemed so anxious to hear his question and he thought that maybe she was hoping for the same things that he was. Ron stood up and headed towards the castle. He figured he had given Hermione and Neville enough time to get inside without it looking like he was following them. Ron walked up the marble staircase and made his way to the Gryffindor common room.

"Hey Ron," Harry said when Ron walked into the room. He was sitting in an armchair by the roaring fire, reading a book on quidditch moves. Ron pulled off his cloak and threw it on the back of Harry's armchair before sitting down in the one next to him. He then began to tell Harry about what had just happened by the lake.

"That's really odd," Harry said as Ron finished his story.

"What do you think that was about?" Ron asked. Harry thought for a second and then answered "Maybe he needs help with potions or something. That's usually what Neville needs Hermione for."

"You're probably right," Ron said, shaking his head, "you know that she told me to ask her my question at dinner right? Should I just do it with everyone around?"

"Maybe. I don't think it's that big of a deal. No one is going to laugh at you. Especially when she says yes."

"Don't be so sure Harry. I hope she says yes, but I'm not trying to jinx anything."

"Alright, we won't talk about it again until after dinner then, agreed?"

"Agreed."

Ron sat down at the Gryffindor table and began to pile food onto his plate. Harry had tried to sit down next to him, but Ron insisted that he sit on the other side of the table. This way, Ron felt that he had at least a little bit of privacy with Hermione in the crowded room. Hermione came walking down the aisle a few moments later, and sat down next to Ron. She smiled at him and waved to Harry, acknowledging his presence. Ron thought that it was best to let Hermione eat before he asked her to the ball. Ginny joined them eventually, and for a while, everyone talked and ate merrily. Finally, Ron thought that it was time to ask Hermione. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a single thing to say to start off the conversation. But then, the words just started coming and he heard himself say "So Hermione, you're a girl…"


	6. Yule Ball

**Chapter 6: Yule Ball**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from J.K. Rowling's incredibly brilliant world.**

"Someone's already asked me," she said, not quite looking him in the eye.

"Don't tell me that you said yes to Neville," Ron said, laughing hysterically. He knew it was the wrong action, but his hurt feelings had taken over at this point and he did not care whether Hermione was upset or not. Silently, Ron wished that Harry would stop looking at him like he had slapped Hermione across the face.

"No, it's not Neville. And just because it's taken you years to notice that I'm a girl Ron, doesn't mean that others haven't!" Hermione stood up from the table quickly and stalked away. Ginny ran after her and Harry continued to stare awe-struck at Ron. This had not gone at all well. From the entrance hall, Ron could hear Hermione's cries and Ginny trying to get her to calm down. How he wished things had gone differently…

Ron looked up from his memory and found his pale face in the mirror. The incident had occurred over a week ago, but he and Hermione were still not on speaking terms. Tonight was the Yule Ball and he was currently in the boy's dormitory getting ready. Harry was in the next room brushing his teeth and Neville (who Ginny had agreed to go with after Hermione had turned him down), Dean, and Seamus had all gone down to the entrance hall to meet up with their dates. Looking at his reflection once more, Ron sighed out of frustration and tried to fix the lacey collar on his second-hand dress robes. It seemed that there was nothing that could be done to help- both his robes and his situation with Hermione. Giving in to his anger at Hermione and his too-late approach, Ron took his wand off of the bedside table and started to magically alter the collar of his robes. When he had finished, all that remained were stringy pieces of lace.

"Did a hippogriff get at you or something Ron?" Harry asked when he came into the dormitory. Ron threw him a very rude hand gesture and turned back to the mirror to try and fix his problems with magic.

"I'm sure she would've gone with you mate. But she couldn't wait around forever could she? Someone asked her…we'll find out who tonight…and she was flattered. Hermione might've even done this to get back at you for not asking her in the first place. Now you know though, don't you? You can't just wait around for the perfect moment with the perfect plans. You just have to go for it, forgetting all consequences."

"Harry. This is no time for relationship advice. Our dates are waiting for us. And I don't think that Padma is going to be very happy when she sees what my dress robes look like. Let's just go down stairs and get this night over with. You have to open the ball, remember? No need to get McGonagall upset with you."

Harry shook his head but obliged and started out of the room. Ron turned away from the mirror trying to forget what he looked like. They started down the staircase and went into the entrance hall. The Patil twins were there, both of them looking quite lovely, but Ron didn't notice. His mind was floating up back towards Gryffindor tower where he was sure Hermione was getting ready to have a wonderful time with her date. _Her date. That wasn't him. _Ron scowled to himself and kept walking alongside Harry toward the twins. Padma was wearing robes of bright turquoise and Parvati, Harry's date, was wearing sparkling pink robes. Ron stiffly offered his arm to Padma and took her into the Great Hall. Normally, he would've been in awe of how grand the hall looked, but he was in much too sour of a mood to give it more than a passing glance.

As soon as Ron and Padma found a good place to stand, Professor McGonagall lead the Champions and their dates into the entrance hall. And there she was in all her glory and completely not belonging to him. Hermione. On the arm of Viktor Krum. He had never seen this one coming. _His_ Hermione. With an international quidditch star. And not him. The Hall broke out into applause and Hermione even slightly waved when she passed Ron, but he didn't notice. All at once, feelings of bitter, unending hurt hit him like a branch of an angry Whomping Willow. He felt as if he couldn't be there anymore, that he was drowning in some deep pool of hatred for the Bulgarian star, and yet, all he could do was stand rooted to his spot on the floor and watch as she was lifted into the air laughing by someone who wasn't him. Padma whispered something about how great Hermione looked, but Ron could not respond to her, not when he knew that nothing positive would come out of his mouth.

The rest of the ball was a blur to Ron. A great blur of Hermione dancing in her gorgeous periwinkle (did he know that color until tonight? Periwinkle. It sounded so delicate, so gorgeous, so Hermione…something that he'd never known until the moment that she wasn't _his_…) robes. He vaguely remembered her coming over to him and Harry where they sat, both already abandoned by dates that would much rather be with other Bulgarians, just like the one that had stolen _his_ Hermione. He also vaguely remembered her storming off because of a rude comment he had made about "Vicky." Ron was pretty sure that it involved the words 'ruddy pumpkin head', but he couldn't be a hundred percent sure in his current mental state. Finally, when a slow song came on towards the end of the night and he saw her entwined with him dancing so closely that surely no air existed between the two of them, Ron had had enough. He quickly stood up, no explanation for Harry, and went to the Gryffindor Common Room.

He sat down on one of the squashy armchairs and stared into the fire. He didn't know how long it was before life came into the room, had no idea how many people passed him, sitting there in his daze, all thoughts, every part of his being, belonging to the beautiful girl in the periwinkle (God that word, that color, that _girl_) robes dancing somewhere below with the boy who wasn't him. And then it happened, all at once. She was there, next to him. He had never smelled her scent so clearly before, noticed every sparkle in the color of her eyes, heard the tenderness in her voice when she said his name. Nor had he ever felt such pain, being so close to her, yet having her so far away from him and all that he wanted. It all came, right there, in the purest form to ever grace his mouth- cold, hard feelings lain out for the entire world to see.


	7. Yule Brawl

**Chapter 7:**

**Yule Brawl**

**Disclaimer: Though I would love to own Harry and Ron, everything you know and love belongs to the creative genius and my personal hero J.K. Rowling. **

"How could you do this to me Hermione?!" Ron asked, saying the words before he had thought them through, before he had calmed his nerves down.

"How could I do this to you Ronald? How could **I **do this to **you**? Did you expect me to wait around for you forever? Because that's an awfully long time to wait around for something you're not even sure is going to happen. I mean sure, Ginny had told me about all of your plans, but how could I be sure that you weren't going to pull a usual tactic on me and chicken out?"

"Ginny told you?" Ron was slightly surprised by her confession. He thought for a moment that he should be mad at his only sister, someone he had felt could be confided in, but thought better of it and took his anger out on Hermione, his most accessible outlet. "So why didn't you just wait for me to ask you? Wouldn't that be the logical thing to do Miss-I've-Never-Been-Illogical-In-My-Perfect-And-Wonderful-Life?"

"Well Ronald, since I must always put things clearly for you, I wasn't going to wait until seventh year for you to ask me to a Yule Ball that had occurred three years prior!"

"So now it's personal is it?"

"Ronald, it was always personal! Yes, I did want you to ask me to the ball. In case you hadn't noticed, there's something between us more than what I've got with Viktor or you've got with Padma. I thought maybe you'd noticed it too, but I guess I was wrong!"

"Oh, well I suppose that this is a first for you. Please don't cry all over my dress robes. Yes, they may be rather ugly, but I'm quite fond of them after they shared the worst night of my life with me!"

"Worst night of your life? Ronald Weasley, are you trying to tell me that after all this you still would've rather been with me tonight?"

"Yes Hermione. Yes! Don't you see that? But I can't take tonight back, and I can't redo any of my plans to ask you to the ball. So here we are. What happens next?"

"I don't know what happens next. We could pretend that this whole night never happened, but that would be foolish and unrealistic."

"You just don't want to forget about your wonderful night with dear old Vicky."

"Ronald, there is no need for name calling!"

"I haven't called him a name yet Hermione, I've only stated the obvious truth! You wanted me to take you when we first found out there was a ball, but now that everything is said and done, you're glad that you went with Viktor and not me. And you know why too. Because he had class and dignity and he didn't embarrass you in front of all the foreign guests. Most of all, you enjoyed yourself because he wasn't simple, boring Ron Weasley!"

"How could you even think that Ron? How could you think that I enjoyed myself more with him than I would've with you? You're my best friend. And I love every moment I spend with you. I was waiting and hoping that you would ask me to the Ball, but waiting and hoping only got me so far. I need more from you than just a simple friendship!"

"Hermione, I don't know exactly what you're asking from me, and I don't know if all that you're saying is true, but I can't be around you right now. I can't think about you, I can't see you, I can't talk to you. I just need some time away from everything that reminds me of you."

"Did I hurt you that badly? Did I truly scar you for life? Because that's sad Ron. That's sad on more than one level. You hurt yourself. You hurt yourself by not having the courage that we Gryffindors are famous for. And what's more, you hurt yourself by not realizing sooner that you don't just want me as a friend, and you had to learn it the hard way by seeing me with someone else."

"I don't know what I want anymore Hermione! I don't want to feel like this all the time. I don't want to fell like this ever again. But I have learned something from this experience. And it isn't even about me. Next time there's a ball, you should wait for me to ask you, especially if you know I'm planning on it."

Ron stopped, realizing what he had just said and instantly knew that it had not been the proper way to end the row. Looking around, he saw that the entirety of Gryffindor house was surrounding him and Hermione. Her hair had come down out of it's graceful position at the nape of her neck and his robes were falling off of him, lace dragging near the ground. At the exact moment the last words had come out of his mouth, Harry had walked through the portrait hole and he now stared at them from the entrance to the room, alarmed. Ron turned back to Hermione, wincing invisibly at the blast that was sure to emit from the girl. Her face was slightly pink from all the screaming and her eyes were feisty and violent with anger. She took one step towards him and stopped, pushing the hair out of her face. She took a deep breath before she spoke, hot angry tears threatening to spill from the usually warm brown eyes.

"No Ronald. Next time there's a ball, pluck up the courage and ask me before somebody else does." And before he knew it she had gone, flown up the stairs to her room, sobbing all the way. Ron hung his head and closed his eyes. Harry came over to him but thought better of words and just stood there, hoping that his presence would be enough. Soon, mostly everyone had cleared out of the common room and only Harry and Ron were left, standing in the exact same position.

"You alright mate?" Harry asked, looking out the window nearest to them so as to not embarrass Ron by being too concerned.

Ron thought a moment before he answered. "You know Harry, I was going to lie to you and tell you that I was fine, that it would all blow over in the morning and that I would have her for myself one day, but I just don't know about any of that. So no, I'm not alright. I'm far from it actually. And I don't know when I'll be okay."

Harry nodded, avoiding Ron's gaze just in case emotion started to flow from his eyes.

"Do you want me to stay up with you tonight?" Harry asked, the concern he had been trying to conceal emitting from his voice.

"No Harry. You sleep. I'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning. I hope that your night was better than mine."

Harry walked passed Ron to go up to the boy's dormitory, but stopped and turned around, clapping Ron hard on the back. Ron could not look Harry in the eyes as tears had begun to flow and there was nothing to be done to stop their passage to the outside world. Ron sat down on a couch turned toward the window and listened to Harry's footsteps fade. It was going to be a long, hard night. He wasn't sure how he would get through it.

**A/N: Sorry this was such a bad chapter for Ron guys. But the last chapter is coming up next, and I promise it gets better for him.**

**Katie**


	8. Aftermath

**Chapter 8:**

**Aftermath**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you know, love, or recognize.**

**A/N: This is it guys, end of story number four. I hope that you all enjoyed it! I've still got plenty of ideas to run with, so let's hope that I get a jump on those quickly! As always, thank you for reading!**

After two o'clock, Ron had lost all sense of time. Hermione's voice was still ringing through his mind, as he was sure it would do for the rest of his life. _Hermione_. It stunned him that even after the events of the night he still got the chills when he thought about her, when the slightest thing reminded him of her.

Ron sat in the Common Room watching the dying embers of the once friendly fire. How he hoped that his friendship with Hermione would not die as the fire was threatening to do. After all, their friendship, that's what was most important to him. No matter what happened between them, romantically or not, Ron hoped that their relationship would always exist on good terms. And still, her voice, angry and menacing floated through the depths of his soul, lingering and taunting him with their true meaning. She was angry with him, and was going to take some time for her to get over that. Shifting in his seat, Ron became uncomfortable when confronted with the thought that it might take longer than he anticipated. A week or two would be a desirable length of time for them to get over what had happened, but he feared that it would take much more time than that.

Ron lay down on the couch and pulled his dress robes over his lanky, thin body. When he closed his eyes, he saw Hermione yelling at him. He quickly jerked them open, and once more, her voice was echoing through his head. But then it hit him, and suddenly, Ron realized the importance of the row he had shared with Hermione that night. Yes, her voice was ringing throughout his head, but it wasn't until that moment that he actually listened to the words she had said…

As Ron relived his fight with Hermione that night, he understood that she did like him, more than she liked Harry or Viktor or any one else. She was telling him that it wasn't about one night, one little date with an international Bulgarian quidditch star, no it was about all the insignificant, normal days that they shared together. It was about the way he made her smile on the way to Charms, not about getting dressed up and taking her out for a special night. It was about picking out the perfect seats at the table in the Great Hall and passing her the butter before she asked for it out of habit. No, it wasn't about getting to know her once in fancy clothes and dancing awkwardly. It was about making themselves comfortable together on a regular basis. And they already had that, he and Hermione. They already knew each other well enough to realize that it was more than just friendship that they had, but not enough to find each other boring. Why did it take such a fight for Ron to see that they were more than just friends and that they both felt it? Shouldn't he have noticed it every day they were together, every glance that they shared?

This realization made Ron happier than he had been since the ball's existence had been brought into his life. Because now he knew. He knew that she really was _His_ Hermione. He knew that she wasn't going to leave him, no matter who entered her life. And most importantly, Ron realized as he shifted into the couch for a more comfortable position, he knew next time there was a ball, she wanted him to ask her first.


End file.
